Electronic Innovation Will Drive Medical Design

Most of us are only vaguely aware of it, but there's a mini revolution taking place in the medical device industry that's going to change the way we monitor our health in the coming decade.

Even today, wearable pods are dispatching insulin to diabetics, body patches are performing electrocardiograms, and activity monitors are watching the calories we burn. But in the next few years, the number and capabilities of such devices is set to skyrocket. "There's going to be a lot of new wearable devices coming out in the next five years," David Niewolny, healthcare business development manager for Freescale Semiconductor, told Design News. "And it's going to be driven by what we can do from a semiconductor standpoint to make these devices disposable and less costly."

A case in point is the OmniPod from Insulet Corp. The OmniPod is a tubeless, wearable pump that attaches to the skin of a diabetic patient and automatically delivers insulin through a canula. The device, which employs a patch and a PDA-type monitor, was revolutionary when it hit the market in 2005, but now it's gotten 35 percent smaller. Part count has been reduced from 40 to 22. Battery count has dropped from four to three. Its new microcontroller (MCU) chip now incorporates the field effect transistors, watchdog timer, analog comparator, and RF components.

Moreover, OmniPod's eight-bit Freescale MCU now burns less current than the previous MCU. And because it needs one less lithium-ion coin cell, cost has dropped. "One of the biggest expenses ends up being the batteries," Niewolny told us. "Eliminating even one battery can take a big chunk out of your BOM (bill of material) costs. And when you're trying to create a disposable design, that's huge."

The benefits of the OmniPod will serve as a foundation for other wearable devices, Niewolny said. "You have this small, discreet patch that you can wear for a period of time and when you're done with it, you can throw it away. You don't have a contamination risk. There are no hazards. And when you throw it away after a few days, you use another one," he said.

The same characteristics will apply to heart management devices. Holter monitors, which are about the size of a 1995 Palm handheld and must be taped to a patient's abdomen, are now being replaced by devices such as the Zio Patch from iRhythm, which are much smaller but can monitor the heart effectively. Other electronics companies, such as Texas Instruments and Analog Devices, are working on analog front ends that might one day place electrocardiogram capabilities in a patch the size of a Band-Aid. Such systems are possible, engineers say, with the continued development of flexible printed circuit board technologies and application-specific integrated circuits.

Similarly, new wearable devices are tracking activity and food intake. Jawbone, Fitbit, and Nike create such devices for fitness-oriented consumers, but the same technology can also be used to help the obese deal with illnesses that could be curbed by careful control of diet and exercise.

The key is to create an electronic foundation for such products, Niewolny said. "By integrating all those external components, you're making a smaller, more discreet solution, and you're lowering the power consumption," he told us.

The bottom line is that small size, low cost, and simple disposability matter to consumers who might potentially adopt such technology. "There are diseases that need to be actively managed, and right now they are not managed because it's not easy and convenient," Niewolny said. "But with the right technology and the right price point, all of that changes."

Chuck, It will be interesting to the cost for some of these devices. Disposable versus refurbishing always seems good to me. But unless the unit cost can really be reduced by greater production quantities, the problem becomes the yearly cost of this kind of device. Thanks for the article.

Yes, Al, disposability is important. Today's Holter monitors, for example, are not disposable and require refurbishing after every use. The refurbishing can be costly. So if electronics manfacturers can make low-cost systems that can be disposed of, and therefore don't require refurbishing, the uptake of the technology will be greater.

Mydesign, MIT has a research group called Little Devices. Their mission statement is:

"The Little Devices group at MIT develops empowerment technologies for health. We believe that innovation and design happens at the frontline of healthcare where providers and patients can invent everyday technologies to improve outcomes."

They employ the use of everyday products ranging from toys to items found in an ordinary home's junk box to develop low cost medical devices for third world countries. The technologies mentioned in this article could easily be integrated within Little Devices research to create enhanced medical tools. The uC's that have an analog front end like Analog Devices ADUC7601 precision analog microcontrollers are key to the development of low power, and efficient health monitoring wearable medical devices. Very interested article Charles! Below are links to MIT's Little Devices Group and Analog Devices ADUC 7601 precision analog microcontroller.

Charles, you are right. Now lots of developments are happening in medical electronics and many old manual equipments are becomes most soficated devices due to the advancement of technology. There is no doubt that within a couple of years, embedding self monitory and communicating chips in human body may become popular.

Nancy, I completely hear what you are saying, but I can sort of see both sides. On one hand I, too, think reuseable is the way to go to eliminate unnecessary waste, since there is already plenty of that. But I can also see how it would be nice to have fresh, clean patches or devices to use if it's something for the long term. At the same time, if it's meant to be used long-term, you're right, it should be made to last.

Since it’s medical, none of the wearable devices will be cheap. Innovation is apparently there, but can we seriously say it will not come at an arm&leg price? In the latest State of the Union speech (2/13/2013), President Obama essentially said he will plead with pharmaceutical companies to get medical prices down. I’m sure they will humor him.
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Thanks for the explanation, Charles - I was envisioning a much more expensive product. It certainly makes sense with low price points. I also would prefer a "new" product rather than a "refurbished" one when it comes to medical equipment. Really nice to see these products being developed - it will really help folks stay active which will only increase the health benefit.

If you’re developing an embedded monitoring and control application, then you’ll want to take note of the upcoming Design News Continuing Education Center class, “Embedded Development Using Microchip Microcontrollers and the CCS C Compiler."

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